BİK has suspended the right of eight local newspapers in Mersin to publish official announcements indefinitely. Local journalists say that newspapers published in other cities in Anatolia are also facing the same threat

CANAN COŞKUN

The Press Advertising Agency(BİK) has suspended the right of eight local newspapers in Mersin to publish official announcements indefinitely. Citing insufficient distribution as the reason for its decision, BİK recommended at a meeting in Mersin that the newspapers merge into one or two publications. Local journalists say this situation is not limited to Mersin and that newspapers published in other cities in Anatolia are also facing the same threat.

Mersin has become the latest addition to the ongoing trend of newspaper mergers or reductions in the number of newspapers in Anatolia. This debate signals a critical turning point for the future of local media. While some view BİK's decision to suspend advertisements and its “merger” recommendations as a necessary step for financial sustainability, many journalists see it as an invisible barrier to pluralism. While the local press struggles to survive amid economic hardship and structural pressures, the decisions made during this process will directly affect not only journalistic practice but also the breathing space of local democracy.

Two months ago, BİK suspended the right of the newspapers Akdeniz, Çukurova, Güney, Haberci, Hakimiyet, İmece, Mersin, and Yeni Güney in Mersin to publish official announcements indefinitely. The reason given for the decision was that the newspapers were not available in sufficient numbers during a distributor inspection. The newspaper owners objected to the decision, stating that the responsibility for the situation lies with the main distributor, and requested that BİK conduct a new inspection. While the newspaper owners are waiting for the new inspection, they have been faced with BİK's implicit recommendation to “merge.” The newspaper owners, who say that the money they earn from official announcements covers half of the newspaper's expenses, say they will be forced to comply with this implicit recommendation.

Journalists spoke to Expression Interrupted about the BİK's responsibility and the “merger” issue facing the Anatolian press.

Ali Adalıoğlu: “We objected to the decision”

Ali Adalıoğlu, owner of the Güney newspaper, which had its right to publish official announcements revoked, is among those who objected to the decision. Adalıoğlu, who has 50 years of experience in journalism, believes that the main distributor in Mersin is primarily responsible for this incident. Adalıoğlu, who pointed out that BİK inspects newspapers once a year, said that during this year's inspection, the officials left the newspaper with words of thanks. 

Adalıoğlu noted that the letter stating that the right to publish official announcements had been revoked shortly after the inspection was delivered to the newspaper, and said the following: "The report stated that the newspapers were distributed to distributors but were in a bound and sealed state. It was observed that three of the eight newspapers were at the distributor, while the other five were not. We objected to this decision. We applied for a re-inspection. We are waiting to be re-inspected. The Güney newspaper has been published for 50 years. I know the rules. I am aware that I have to do my job right.“

”We take advertisements to survive"

Adalıoğlu said that the two-month suspension of official advertisements cost them TL 500,000 and continued:

"In recent years, not only local newspapers but even mainstream newspapers have stopped selling. Local newspapers have been taking official advertisements for years to survive. If you ask me whether this covers their expenses, my answer is no. Under current conditions, the monthly cost of a local newspaper is around TL 450,000. This includes printing costs, staff salaries, and other expenses. In Anatolian cities, salaries are at the minimum wage level. Only a few people can afford to pay more than that. The ad fees from the Press Ad Agency amount to around TL 200,000 per month. This serves as some support for expenses.

“Another source of support is private brokerage ads. However, these also come through the Press Advertising Agency. For example, when a municipality wants to place an ad in local newspapers, it sends the ad to the Press Advertising Agency. The BİK takes a 15 percent cut from these ads. It is a ‘one penny from those who pass, two pennies from those who do not’ system.”

“If the BİK’s inspections were more thorough…”

Adalıoğlu noted that among the criteria of the Press Advertising Agency, there used to be a requirement to employ eight journalists bound by the Press Law, which has now been reduced to seven. He added, “The newspaper must print at least 1,000 copies and sell at least 400 copies from the newsstand.”

Adalıoğlu noted that these criteria are sometimes violated and that journalists should take responsibility in such cases. Stating that BİK's inspections should be more thorough, Adalıoğlu continued: "If they conducted more thorough inspections, perhaps there would be fewer newspapers. Publishing would be healthier. 

“We talk about diversity, but ‘copy-and-paste journalism’ is not right either. Unfortunately, this is the case in Mersin, as it is throughout Turkey.“

BİK meeting in Adana

Adalıoğlu said that representatives of the Press Advertising Agency had recently held a meeting in Adana, adding:

”Here they said, 'Merge, publish a single newspaper, and you will earn money too.’ They gave examples of other newspapers that had merged. Our friends here also want to merge. We will establish a company under the name of the oldest newspaper here and merge. The question of how the publication policy will be determined in a newspaper owned by seven or eight people is now on the agenda.“

Adalıoğlu expressed his concern that the model he described could turn the newspaper into a “Pravda that publishes official announcements." Adalıoğlu said that the newspaper would continue to be published regardless of whether it had the right to publish announcements, adding, “A newspaper that runs on its own is more independent.”

Kaya Tepe: “A stick under the blanket”

Kaya Tepe, president of the Mersin Journalists' Association, also believes that the BİK's decision is based on pressure on newspapers to merge. Speaking to Expression Interrupted, Tepe spoke as follows:

“They want to reduce the number of newspapers from eight to one or two. We are against this. We are saying that there should be no such pressure and that the Press Advertising Agency does not have such authority under the law. Of course, they say they are not exerting pressure officially, but there is such a practice unofficially. We are against this.”

According to Tepe, the Press Advertising Agency has many positive practices, such as requiring newspapers to employ a sufficient number of journalists, print sufficient copies, publish quality content, conduct special reporting, abandon bulletin-style journalism in favor of field reporting, and produce special investigative reports. Tepe stated that the practice should not be “showing the stick under the cloak,” saying, “We are saying that pressure should be put on those who do not fulfill their responsibilities.”

Tepe added that they have received complaints from journalists about being forced to publish newspapers with only one person, salaries being inflated and deposited into banks and then partially withdrawn. He said that these complaints were not limited to Mersin, but that many newspapers in Anatolia were experiencing similar problems, adding that they are also suffering from this. Tepe said that they wanted regulations and supervision in this regard.

Tepe said that the destruction of the local press must be prevented, adding that the recent incident was a major setback for democracy and pluralism.

Tepe criticized the fact that official announcements are the largest source of income for newspapers and expressed his dissatisfaction with the lack of interest from the local community and business people in newspapers.

Federation President Karaca: Raids were carried out in all provinces

Another person who believes that the Press Advertisement Agency has been exerting pressure on the Anatolian press to “merge and downsize” over the past four years and who has criticized this situation is Yılmaz Karaca, President of the Turkish Journalists Federation. Karaca stated that the BİK responded to his criticism via its website.

Emphasizing that he did not accept BİK's response, Karaca explained with data that this pressure was applied in all provinces and that the number of newspapers had decreased in many provinces.

Recalling that he has been part of the Anatolian press for 50 years, Karaca said, “There has never been a period when all newspapers had their advertisements cut off. Nor has there ever been such a reckless cut with such a flimsy excuse.” Karaca also mentioned that similar pressure was applied in Konya, where a merger was achieved at the beginning of last month, resulting in the number of newspapers being reduced from 11 to three.

Karaca said that eight newspapers were published in Eskişehir and that one newspaper's right to publish official announcements had been suspended. Karaca stated that around 10-14 newspapers were published in Adana and that similar pressure was being exerted there. Karaca noted that the number of newspapers in Antalya had been reduced from eight to five and that Şanlıurfa was facing the same threat, with attempts to reduce the number of newspapers to one or two. According to Karaca, these developments signify the elimination of pluralism.

“The number of local newspapers has fallen from 1,800 to less than 500.”

Karaca said that the number of newspapers in Kayseri had been reduced from 17 to three, adding: "Currently, only one newspaper is being published in Nevşehir. The number has been reduced to one in Kırıkkale as well. The director general of the BİK, a state official responsible for employing journalists, is destroying journalism. What will newspaper workers in cities where the number of newspapers has decreased do? This situation is leading to the disappearance of Anatolian journalism. The goal here is to shrink and eliminate the Anatolian press. Four years ago, there were 1,800 provincial and district newspapers in Turkey that received official announcements, but now this number has fallen below 500."

Karaca also spoke about brokerage advertisements, which are seen as another source of income for newspapers, and reminded that two journalists must be employed in order to receive these advertisements. He stated that the financial value of these advertisements ranges between TL 8,000 and TL 10,000 and that this amount is not enough to cover the insurance payments of two employees.

“The bill for the meetings is paid by the Anatolian press”

Karaca said that they attended a meeting at the Communication Presidency about 1-1.5 months ago and discussed these pressure tactics. Karaca said that the Ankara regional director who attended the meeting did not accept this and that the owner of a newspaper in Eskişehir whose right to publish official announcements was revoked confirmed what happened. Karaca also criticized the organizational structure and functioning of the Press Advertising Agency, saying, "The Press Advertising Agency, which had been profitable for years, has now become loss-making. Why did this happen? We say that there is no need for a general assembly. There is already a board of directors. Why are there around 40 general assembly members? They hold meetings every three months, some of which are extraordinary. 

“So many people travel by plane and stay in the finest hotels for at least three days. These people do not get a salary, but they all receive a peace allowance. Who pays for this? The Anatolian press pays for it.“

Kema Özdilek: “The decision to merge is independent of the BİK"

Among those we consulted was Kemal Özdilek, former president of the Tokat Journalists' Association. Contrary to the critical views and opinions in the news report, Özdilek does not see any problem with the “merger or downsizing” step in Tokat. Özdilek said that the number of newspapers had dropped from nine in 2015 to three in 2020, and that this decision had nothing to do with the Press Advertising Agency. Özdilek said that this decision was made before the Press Advertising Agency opened a branch in Tokat, explaining that the decline in circulation and rising costs were the reasons behind the decision. According to Özdilek, after the merger of the newspapers, there was a decline in the number of journalists, but at the same time, “people working as journalists” emerged.